The Executive Director of the Institute of Agricultural Research & Training, (IAR&T), Ibadan, Professor Veronica Adeoti Obatolu, on Monday, revealed the importance of Oil palm farming to the economy of a nation.

Prof Obatolu made this known during a 2-day learning workshop/ meeting, titled: End of Phase 1 (Soil Mapping & Fertility Evaluation) of OCP funded Oil Palm Specialty Fertilizer Project in Nigeria.

She stated that oil palm crop is essential for both home use and national economy boost. Prof Obatolu also noted that palm oil, aside the fact that it is used for cooking, it has core vitamin A.

According to her, oil palm business is a business that an individual can do alone but the major thing is the land.

Speaking on the importance of oil palm to economy of a nation, she stated “Oil palm being a commodity everybody consumes, and anyone that produce it cannot go bankrupt.

Malaysia for instance uses oil palm to boost her national economy. So if Nigeria has farmers that go into oil palm production, definitely the economy will be boosted,” she added.

The 2-day workshop also had other soil scientists who came to sensitise researchers, farmers and public on the economic significance of oil palm and how it can boost the country’s economy.

A Soil Fertility Scientist in IAR&T, and also Project Coordinator of Oil Palm Soil Mapping and Fertility Evaluation Project in Nigeria, Dr. Vincent Aduaramigba Modupe, frowned at the rate the oil palm produce has declined over the years because the crops are not producing enough.

He explained that the low production of palm oil is due to climate change variability and soil fertility decline.

Dr Vincent disclosed that a project funded by OCP came out with a strategy of looking at the soils in Nigeria relating it with crop productivity, have achieved effective fertilizer formulation with the development of three specific fertilizers; one for South-South region, South-East region, South-West region and the other for the national.  

He added that the use of these fertilizers will bring about bumper harvest for our farmers which will lead to economic yield that will affect their livelihood positively, and bring foreign reserve to Nigeria, adding that “palm oil, as a crop goes into international market for trade; if it has more yields, there would be more revenue for the farmers and government as well.”

He pointed out that the findings of the project showed that the 360 farming communities visited in 8 states have low essential elements that determine soil fertility.

The soil fertility scientist thereby urged the governments and farmers to regard palm oil production as a means of enhancing the nation’s economy, since it has an international value in the world market.

A farmer, who specializes in oil palm plantation, Alhaji Lukman Oladapo, from Omi-Adio in Ibadan in  a chat with CEOAFRICA said that he has being in the business for over 20 years ago.

He described Oil palm as a common crop in the south-west Nigeria, even it is the base of economy in Nigeria before independence. So our fore fathers had been planting oil palm before the advent of all these varieties of crops.

He listed land clearing as a major challenge farmers are facing because the business is majorly carried out in the forest. So, farmers find it very difficult to clear the land and clearing the land manually is expensive.

He also disclosed that the use of bulldozer to clear the land is also not good.

He also disclosed that the second challenge is the processing, stating that some women doing the process of oil palm locally are getting older.

He therefore appealed to the federal government to assist in getting the processing machine which he said is too expensive.

In the same vein, Ajala Adeola also disclosed that the processing is a big issue and therefore appeal to the government to help in getting the machines and fertilizers.

The 2-day learning workshop/ meeting, titled: End of Phase 1 (Soil Mapping & Fertility Evaluation) of OCP funded Oil Palm Specialty Fertilizer Project in Nigeria. has revealed the importance of Oil Pam farming to boost Nigeria economy most especially during this COVID-19 Pandemic.